Combination back rest



May 3, 1960 .1. H. MEILLEUR COMBINATION BACK REST 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledOct. 25, 1957 INVENTOR Joseph Mei! zeur AT TY May 3, 1960 J. H. MEILLEURCOMBINATION BACK REST 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 25, 1957 R 0 T N E V NJose h. H. Meilleur 2,935,118 COMBINATION BACK REST Joseph H. Meilleur,deceased, late of Rapides des Joachims, Quebec, Canada, by MaryMeilleur, administrator, Rapides des Joachims, Quebec, CanadaApplication October 25, 1957, Serial No. 692,495

' 1 Claim. (Cl. 155-43) Thisinvention relates generally to back rests,and in particular to an adjustable back rest adapted to be detachablysecured to the gunwale of a boat, or canoe, or to afixed object ifdesired.

An object of this invention is to provide a combination back rest andtray adapted to be adjustably clamped to an object in such manner thatthe back rest may rotate on a vertical axis to any angle of comfort, andmay be tilted on a horizontal axis for the same purpose, and may betilted still further till'the back rest is in a horizontal position foruse as a tray, or table. 7

Another object of the invention is the provision of a clamp which isadapted to swivel in any desired direction, and to be rigidly secured inany required position.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of anadjustable back rest pivotally mounted on a supporting member, saidsupporting member including a threaded rod, or shaft, said rod havingclamping jaws thereon to clamp said back rest to a canoe, or otherobject.

' The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention'willappear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detaileddescription which follows taken together with the accompanying drawingsas illustrated by way of example, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a clamp adapted for pivotalsupport of a back rest;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a back rest viewed from the undersidethereof showing the attaching bracket;

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the clamp, showing back rest supportclamped in position, on a canoe, or boat by means of clamping jaws;

Figure 4 is a side view of the back rest pivotally supported on theclamping unit;

Figure 5 is a side ;view of a back rest, and modified clampingarrangement for attachment to a stake;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the clamping arrangement clamped tothe gunwale of a boat, or canoe, and supporting a telescope;

' United fitates Patent 0 Figure 7 is a side view of a modifiedarrangement for pivotally supporting the back rest;

Figure 8 is a view of an extension shaft for supporting the back rest ata higher elevation, and

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a padded frame for attachment to theback rest.

Similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings a back rest 1, is provided with brackets 2on the underside thereof adapted to .be pivotally supported on aclamping member 3. The clamping member comprises a threaded shaft 4, theupper extremity of said shaft having an offset portion 5 forming aninverted L shaped member. A lug 6 is formed adjacent the free end ofsaid offset portion having an aperture 7 adapted to receive a pivot pin8. The brackets 2 are also provided with apertures similar to aperture7, whereby the back rest 1 may be pivotally at tached to the clampingmember. On the shaft 4 are threaded clamping jaws 9 and 10, the shaftbeing shown ciently from jaw 9- to enable the clamping member to be2,935,118 Patented May 3, 1960 ice secured to the gunwale 11. The lowerjaw 10 is provided with a second threaded aperture 12 adapted toaccommodate a tightening screw 13 operated manually by a bar 14, theupper extremity of the tightening screw being provided with a bearingplate 16. The lower jaw 10 is also provided with a thumb screw 15 toretain the shaft in horizontal rotative adjustment. An auxiliary jaw 17is also provided having serrated grooves formed on the underside thereoffor use when it is required to attach the back rest to a round object.The pivot pin 8 is provided with a wing nut 8 to retain the back rest inany required position of vertical adjustment. The back rest is alsoadapted for use as a tray, or small table for fixing fishing tackle, orfor eating purposes in which case the rest would assume the horizontalposition 20 as shown in broken lines in Figure 4, or in full lines asshown in Figure 5. In Figure 5 the rest is shown clamped to a fixedobject, such as a post 21, and if desired, being provided with markingsfor measuring fish, or other purposes. In Figure 6, the clampingassembly is shown being put to other uses, such as supporting flashlights 22, on extension shafts 23 and secured in modified clamps 24.Figures 7 and 8 show in detail an extension shaft 23 adapted to bethreadably secured to a modified shaft 4 and a modified detachableoffset member 5 having a lug 6' and an internally threaded bore hole 25adapted to engage the upper extremity 26 of an extension shaft 23.Figure 9 shows a padded frame 19 adapted to be slidably attached to theback rest to provide a' comfortable support for a person leaning againstthe back rest. The pad 19 is secured to a frame 27 having U-shaped angleiron side sills adapted for slidable attachment to back rest 1.

Without further detailed description it will be seen that there has beenprovided a novel adjustable combined back rest and tray adapted to beclamped to the gunwale of a canoe, or boat, or an appropriate fixedobject, which is sturdy and readily assembled and disassembled asrequired, has few parts to get out of order, and which are readilyreplaceable when worn, and which is simple and V ter of the lowersurface of said panel having 'alined aperin Figures 3 and 4' clampedthereby to the gunwale 11,

tures, a supporting rod having at one end an off-set lug havinginterfitting engagement with said brackets, said lug having an aperturein alinement with the apertures of said brackets, a bolt extendingthrough the apertures of said brackets and lug pivotally mounting saidpanel on said supporting rod, a nut threaded on said bolt for clampingsaid panel in its adjusted position,-and.a padded frame covering theupper surface of said panel having inwardly turned flanges alongopposite sides to slidably receive the edges of said panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS161,026 Crummon Mar. 23, 1875 1.625,673 Nelson Apr. 19, 1921 2,089,452Utley Aug. 10, 1931 2,466,553 McDonald 'Apr. 5, 1949 2,777,138 GallagherJan; 15, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS r 316,676 Switzerland Dec. 15, 1956

